Heart conditions may be treated through the application of electrical stimulation via an implantable pulse generator (IPG) such as, for example, a pacemaker or an implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD) that may be used for any type of electrotherapy. The IPG may administer electrical stimulation to the heart tissue via transvenous leads that are located in the vasculature of the patient.
Intrapericardial lead placement offers a number of advantages over transvenous lead placement, including the fact that there is no lead in the vascular system. Unfortunately, intrapericardial leads can be difficult to explant.
There is a need in the art for an intrapericardial electrotherapy lead that is readily explantable. There is also a need in the art for a method of explanting such a lead.